Lancaster Castle was probably founded between 1092 and 1094 on the site of a Roman fort, though there are no contemporary records. The article names Roger de Poitou as the most likely patron and King David I of Scotland as another claimant. The keep is about 66 feet (20 m) high, with walls 9.8 feet (3 m) thick.
The gatehouse was begun around 1399 under Henry IV, in a Gothic style with semi-octagonal flanking towers. Scottish invasions damaged the castle in 1322 and 1389. Thomas Harrison designed the late 18th-century gaol rebuilding, and the medieval hall was dismantled in 1796.
The castle was a prison, and the Ministry of Justice leased most buildings until 2011. The British sovereign owns it as Duke of Lancaster, and the Crown Court still sits in part of it. It is open to the public seven days a week.
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